[REVIEW] Life Interrupted

Rachel Reynolds isn't running from her past, but she wouldn't mind if it stopped chasing her, either. A senior in high school getting ready to graduate, Rachel is trying to look ahead toward her future, while forgetting the one night two years ago that set events in motion which altered the course of her entire life. Part of the future she's looking for includes falling out of love with her best friend, an act she seems incapable of, especially when it appears he might just love her, too. As Rachel tries to find her footing in a relationship that has baggage before it starts, a nightmare from her past reappears, upsetting the tenuous balance of Rachel's life and threatening the one person she loves most.

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"Piece of advice?" She nods. "You can't worry about everyone else. Right now, you can only worry about you because in the end, you're the one who has to live with whatever decision you make."

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Life Interrupted is the first novel that truly made me cry. I had to stop myself from crying all the way while reading in public (and I just can’t do that!)…

Life Interrupted is a story of being a teen mom. It’s a story of being a teen mom while being in love. It’s a story of learning the difference between wanting to do something and being obliged to do something, a story about learning to rely on other people, a story of knowing what it means to be strong, a story that tells us that true LOVE is not only accepting but embracing everything about that person, a story about making decisions and sticking to it. Life Interrupted is about love, life, and family.

Life Interrupted is that contemporary romance that’s perfectly right for me. Its realistic aspect really caught my interest – the drama, the characters, the feels, and everything else. Rachel’s voice is very nice to read – she shares her thoughts of being a teen mom, how she got there, how she felt when she had the child (Gracie), and other more things. It’s not that I can relate to that situation but I can sympathize to her situation. The way she talks about her life, her story, really just makes me feel for her. It’s a very straightforward storytelling, by the way. It’s just Rachel telling her story. She talks about her life right now while also talking about what brought her there (flashbacks). There were a lot of times when I cried, simply tear up, and just smiled. It had a lot of great moments.

Rachel is a very realistic heroine – how she feels about her life in general, why she pushes away people, how she feels about her child during the few months, how she feels about Tripp, and other more things. My issue about the characters is that how others respond to Rachel. Their responses to her, how positive they are in most cases and how very expected some are, are very ideal. Everything is so convenient in here but maybe that’s just Rachel being lucky with most of the people she met.

The romance between Rachel and Tripp was quite realistic although very hail pulling at times. It’s like you just want to tell them to just be with each other already (reminds me of how I feel when I’m watching shoujo anime~~). There were a few back and fourths between the two because of Rachel’s inability to rely on people or how she sees herself as a burden to people.

The conclusion was very beautiful. There were a lot of realizations for Rachel right there. The developments toward it were very smooth. Tripp’s POV at the end was very cute.

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What I Like: (1) Rachel, (2) Tripp, (3) how realistic the story is, (4) ALL THE FEELS!, (5) how some beautifully written inspirational and moving parts makes me tear up because of happiness, (6) the romance between Rachel and Tripp, (7) Rachel’s love for Gracie, (8) Rachel’s voice, (9) that beautifully written conclusion.

What I Didn’t Like: (1) the responses of some of the characters seem too ideal or convenient at times

very moving story + realistic + great characters + all the freaking feels = MUST READ!

About Kristen Kehoe

Mom, Wife, Coffee Addict, and Book Lover

I am a writer of YA/NA contemporary novels. I write about those crazy ages of 18-23 because there is nothing scarier than being told to grow up and decide what to do with your life and who to be so suddenly. I write about love because it's my belief that love, in one form or another, saves us all at some point in our lives. I am married to a man who understands and believes in me, and mother to a beautiful baby girl and a neurotic Great Dane Puppy.